Craft lanes
Goldsmiths and coppersmiths.
Radosław Botev — CC BY 3.0 pl · aiva. — CC BY 2.0 · Dan from Brussels, Europe — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Делфина — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Делфина — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Enric — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Radosław Botev — CC BY 3.0 pl
The Old Bazaar, the Čaršija, spreads over the east bank of the Vardar from the Stone Bridge to the Bit Pazar market and up to the fortress walls. It is one of the oldest and largest marketplaces in the Balkans: a merchant quarter is recorded here from the 12th century, and under Ottoman rule it became the commercial heart of the city. Its lanes are lined with low shops of goldsmiths, tailors and coppersmiths, tea houses and grill restaurants, and with the Ottoman buildings that give it its character: about thirty mosques, old caravanserais such as Kuršumli An and Suli An, the covered Bezisten market and two hammams that now hold art galleries. The bazaar was damaged by the earthquake of 1555, the fire of 1689 and the earthquake of 1963, and was rebuilt each time. It is the best part of Skopje to wander slowly, drink Turkish coffee or tea, and try kebapi and burek. The bazaar lies in a largely Muslim part of the city and halal grills are easy to find, though some places also serve alcohol, so it is worth asking.
Goldsmiths and coppersmiths.
Kuršumli An and Suli An.
Coffee and kebapi.
East bank of the Vardar, north of the Stone Bridge, Čair, Skopje
Mustafa Pasha MosqueMustafa Pasha Mosque stands on a terrace above the Old Bazaar, just below the fo2 minutes walk4.6
Daut Pasha HamamDaut Pasha Hamam is a 15th-century Ottoman bathhouse at the southern entrance to3 minutes walk4.5
Kuršumli AnKuršumli An is the most striking of the Old Bazaar's caravanserais, the inns whe4 minutes walk4.4
Kale FortressKale, from the Turkish word for fortress, crowns the highest point of Skopje's o5 minutes walk4.2
Sultan Murad MosqueSultan Murad Mosque stands on a low hill in the middle of the Old Bazaar, beside5 minutes walk4.7Yes, halal grills are easy to find because the bazaar lies in a largely Muslim part of the city, but some places serve alcohol, so ask before you sit down.